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My sister recently bought a pet hedgehog. It's the second one my family's owned; my father had one a number of years ago that was a wonderful pet, and so my sister decided to get one of her own. Today, it had four babies. She's had it for about a month, so obviously it had gotten knocked up at some point just prior to her receiving it. Is there anything special that she should be doing beyond just giving it lots of food, water and nesting material and leaving it alone? When we were kids we had a mating pair of gerbils that had half a dozen pups every month and that's all we'd do, but gerbils are pretty low-maintenance. So are hedgehogs but hey, better safe than sorry, right? Anything special we could do to make sure that the hoglets all survive and grow up healthy? Thanks.
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Sep 21, 2010 07:39
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The vet was able to give my cat his medicine. They told me to wait in the lobby, so I didn't get to watch, but she told me how to do it successfully. The only thing that was really different from what I was doing is that she said to give it to him slowly. I was trying to inject all of it. The problem with doing it slowly, though, is that the longer the process takes, the more agitated and scratchy he gets. I'm probably just gonna keep bringing him in, because it's much easier on my mental health. I know it probably sucks for the people at the vet, but I feel like they aren't emotionally invested in the situation like I am.
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Sep 21, 2010 14:56
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Harry Lime posted:So apparently my dog Freya is the reincarnation of Houdini. She has pretty bad separation anxiety and had started to shred her plastic crate, creating razor sharp bits of plastic along the edges. So we got this crate which had been suggested in the separation anxiety thread as a good choice for one that she would struggle to injure herself on. We then spent the next couple of weeks really making sure she enjoyed spending time in her crate and we have been slowly getting her comfortable with us leaving while she is in it. Today we were forced to leave her alone for a half hour which is well beyond her current comfort zone. When we returned she had opened the door to her crate and consumed an entire plum cake that had been on the counter. On the bright side the plum cake distracted her long enough so she didn't start trying to burrow through the front door to find us. I am completely at a loss at how she got the crate door open since to close it the door has a pair of vertical metal bars that slot into holes and a latch to hold the door tight. So to open it she had to flip the latch and then lift the door up and out. Any suggestions for how I can keep her from doing this again? The best idea I can come up with at the moment is to padlock the door. Wow. Opening the door is rather impressive. Moxie has chewed on the screw shut latch, but she's never managed to unscrew it. Padlocking is a good idea. You might need to be careful though since the padlock will only hold a small area closed. If she is able to unscrew the latch and lift the door up and out, it will then only be held by the padlock and she can probably bend the door at that point. We eventually had to zip tie all the horizontal wires along the bottom (where it is not mesh) so that she could not get her jaws around them. Then she started in on the crate liner. She destroyed it to the point where she could again reach wires her jaws could fit around. So we bricked in the bottom of the crate. Instead of a liner Moxie now has bricks. This crate becomes less portable every week. She doesn't seem to mind the bricks though, and they do a good job of preventing her hurting herself. I put a blanket in with her and she doesn't try to destroy it. I think she realizes that the blanket is not hindering her escape and therefore does not need to die. So I guess my advice is zip ties, and be careful not to let her bend the door/hurt herself. It would be a pain to have to zip tie all around the door of the crate though every time you put her in and cut them off again after. Hopefully someone else will think of a more useful suggestion.
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Sep 21, 2010 15:16
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drat Bananas posted:I already did that. Two of my cats do this at times. I think they are just teasing each other or something. I have 4, and these two just go at it hissing and chasing. Some cats are just assholes to each other I think.
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Sep 21, 2010 15:31
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pheez posted:My cat just pooped outside of his litter box for absolutely no reason. The litter box is in a closet which is always kept open, and he went just outside the door of the closet. As far as I know, this is the first time he's done that. One of my cats used to do this to my ex wife when he was mad at her. did you do anything the cat might have percieved as icky? bring home a new cat? given it pills/medicine? farted in its face or something?
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Sep 21, 2010 15:34
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orange lime posted:My sister recently bought a pet hedgehog. It's the second one my family's owned; my father had one a number of years ago that was a wonderful pet, and so my sister decided to get one of her own. Please visit the hedgehog-centric forums at hedgehogcentral.com or chins-n-hedgies.com to get the best advice from people who breed hedgehogs regularly. Other than that, leaving them alone is the best, although you will want to check to see if one of the four is being pushed out and not getting any food. I had to hand-feed a baby hoglet that wasn't getting its fair share of mom's milk, and she only had one sibling to fight with.
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Sep 21, 2010 21:07
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Thanks for all the help, just got back from the vet with the leopard gecko yesterday. Vet thinks that he ate the calcium sand substrate along with some of the mealworms and that caused some blockage. Also he had a crusty buildup around his eyes from some skin that wouldn't shed, which caused some excess shedding and a minor infection. I guess he took sympathy on my first lizard and I cause he didn't charge me.  Got him some things for his enclosure based on you guys, moss that I didn't know I needed (I knew it needed to be kept wet, just didn't know about the moss), better thermometer, oatmeal and carrot diet for his worms. and other such things. He is recuperating happily though still not eating so I grabbed some insect formula that the vet recommended. Thanks again for all the help and the advice.
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Sep 22, 2010 19:24
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PSWII60 posted:Thanks for all the help, just got back from the vet with the leopard gecko yesterday. Vet thinks that he ate the calcium sand substrate along with some of the mealworms and that caused some blockage. Also he had a crusty buildup around his eyes from some skin that wouldn't shed, which caused some excess shedding and a minor infection. Yay! Glad he's doing better. Good for you taking him to a vet and caring about him. Working in a pet store in the past, I saw a LOT of reptile owners that did not care to take their pets to a vet because they weren't "real pets like dogs or something." Just one last thing, make sure not to feed him in his enclosure. It allows escaped food to hide (and possibly chew on your lizard at night) and it lets your gecko eat substrate by accident. Feed him in an empty plastic or glass container. Yay for you!
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Sep 22, 2010 19:54
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pheez posted:My cat just pooped outside of his litter box for absolutely no reason. The litter box is in a closet which is always kept open, and he went just outside the door of the closet. As far as I know, this is the first time he's done that. My cat once pooped on my roommate's bed. Never before, never since. I have no idea.
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Sep 22, 2010 21:37
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Cassiope posted:Yay! Glad he's doing better. Good for you taking him to a vet and caring about him. Working in a pet store in the past, I saw a LOT of reptile owners that did not care to take their pets to a vet because they weren't "real pets like dogs or something." Will do, got a little purple plastic thing that he went to the vet in that'd be perfect for it. Thanks again.
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Sep 23, 2010 07:20
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Throughout this stressful process of giving Alexei his medicine, my bf's slightly older cat has started hissing at Alexei. I'm not sure if it's because we're giving him more attention (giving him medicine, taking him to the vet, spending time trying to comfort/clean the poor thing when he gets back, etc). It could also be that he's picking up on our frustration/anger towards Alexei when we try to medicate him, and he thinks we're mad at this cat, and he should be mad too. I don't really know, but him hissing is not making this process any easier, and I feel like it's just stressing my cat out even more than he already is. I don't really know what to do, other than just wait it out. The meds are almost gone, but I'm afraid this whole process isn't done yet. I mean, this isn't even the first time we've had to give them medicine for this exact problem.
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Sep 23, 2010 14:50
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My cat has no fangs. Weirdest thing. Na-na is about 2.5, and she's lost both her top fangs. She's not in any pain, her gums look normal, they're just.....gone/ They were super small to begin with, like abnormally small for her other teeth, and now they're just gone. Anyone else have this before I go drop all my savings at the vet?
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Sep 23, 2010 17:45
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Well, kittens do have baby teeth which fall out at some point, but 2.5 seems awfully old for that.
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Sep 23, 2010 19:15
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Billy Black posted:Throughout this stressful process of giving Alexei his medicine, my bf's slightly older cat has started hissing at Alexei. I'm not sure if it's because we're giving him more attention (giving him medicine, taking him to the vet, spending time trying to comfort/clean the poor thing when he gets back, etc). It could also be that he's picking up on our frustration/anger towards Alexei when we try to medicate him, and he thinks we're mad at this cat, and he should be mad too. If the cat smells like the vet, the other cats often get pissed. I'm having the same thing right now, My cat is laid up and my tux cat keeps trying to attack her  Normally it has to do with the smell of the vets office. I have heard wiping the cat down helps it along. I'm very frustrated with it right now.
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Sep 23, 2010 20:41
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skoolmunkee posted:Well, kittens do have baby teeth which fall out at some point, but 2.5 seems awfully old for that. My thought too, but they were definetely her baby fangs. We brush their teeth and would have noticed. Her sister lost one, which we assumed was from some sort of trauma given that she's the one climbing the drapes and making crazy flying leaps
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Sep 23, 2010 21:25
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ChairmanMeow posted:If the cat smells like the vet, the other cats often get pissed. I'm having the same thing right now, My cat is laid up and my tux cat keeps trying to attack her I hear that. Well, the poor thing ends up with medicine and foam all over his face by the time he's done, so it could very well be the smell of medicine that's pissing him off.
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Sep 23, 2010 21:27
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I have a 6 month old cat that is having a weird litter box issue. She has no problem using it to do her business, but she doesn't cover or bury her leavings. When she's done, she'll get out of the box and wander around the immediate area, pawing at the floor and walls trying to dig. Does she have a problem with the box/litter or is she just young and confused?
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Sep 24, 2010 21:29
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You can try a larger litter box. We switched to a big Sterilite bin (no lid, just bigger and taller sides) and it helps, but one of my cats is still really  and scratches all around it.
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Sep 24, 2010 21:44
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OK thanks I'll give that a shot...and you're right, she looks like a handicapable kitty trying to dig through my bathroom tile.
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Sep 24, 2010 21:50
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I have some questions about feline dental hygiene. How often am I supposed to brush my cats teeth and is the kitty toothpaste worth it? Also, when you clip a cats nails, do you only do the front set or the back as well?
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Sep 25, 2010 08:34
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Lackadaisical posted:I have some questions about feline dental hygiene. How often am I supposed to brush my cats teeth and is the kitty toothpaste worth it? I think brushing their teeth is only really needed if your cat has dental issues to begin with. Usually it's more of a problem with older cats. I've personally never brushed any of my cats' teeth and they never had any notable dental problems, if any. Nothing more than general icky cat breath. But if your cat's breath absolutely REEKS, there might be a bigger problem, and a vet trip would be a good idea. And most people only do the front, but there's nothing wrong with doing both.
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Sep 25, 2010 08:54
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I have no idea how old my cat is but she's definitely older. 7+ years anyway. The vet recommended I brush her teeth but that's all she told me. I don't want to piss off my cat any more than necessary.
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Sep 25, 2010 08:56
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7 is pretty young for a cat, since then can live to be over 20. I'm not sure what to tell you, I'd assume it would need to be done if they told you to. But it's weird that a vet would tell you that but not give specifics about it, in terms of how often and why. Did they at least give you some kind of instructions?
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Sep 25, 2010 09:08
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Lackadaisical posted:I have no idea how old my cat is but she's definitely older. 7+ years anyway. The vet recommended I brush her teeth but that's all she told me. I don't want to piss off my cat any more than necessary. Most cats are pretty bad about letting you do it, so where I work we usually recommend brushing as often as they'll let you. I can't remember the numbers, but it's something like 2-3 days that it takes for gunk to turn into tartar, so if you can do it every other day it should make a big difference. That said, if she already has a bunch of yellow/brown buildup on her back teeth, it is not going to come off without a professional cleaning. Most cats would need a cleaning by age 7.
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Sep 25, 2010 12:33
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^that's a good link. Definitely worth trying. My vet told me yesterday some food sensitives can cause gingivitis in cats also, I had no idea.
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Sep 25, 2010 12:42
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Kerfuffle posted:And most people only do the front, but there's nothing wrong with doing both. We always do the back too because Charlie gets his stuck on stuff all the time
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Sep 25, 2010 19:13
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I have a one year old German Shepherd who has, within the last month, begun to show aggression towards strangers both in and around our home. We used to take him out off of the leash to run around in a field near our apartments. He has always ignored people and other pets, but recently he has taken to running off whenever he sees someone, forcing us to keep him on the leash. He has been socialized with people and other dogs since he was a puppy, we take him to the dog park once or twice a week. He still shows zero aggression at the park towards people and is actually very friendly, it only really happens in or around our apartment. By aggression I am not referring to growling or baring teeth; but circling, nudging and barking. As in, he will run around people then sort of hit them with his nose while he barks. We carry treats around with us so people can greet him with one, but he simply accepts it calmly and immediately reverts to his previous behavior. I am not worried about him attacking anyone, but I am worried that he will start nipping at people. Anyone have any tips on how to fix this behavior or what may have caused the sudden shift?
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Sep 25, 2010 19:31
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About teeth-brushing, in dogs and cats as often as possible is really a good rule. I know with some cats that means never, but with new kittens especially, if you do it every day (or even every other day) they'll get used to it. My new little guy has seafood flavored toothpaste that he loves, to the point where he'll walk up to his toothbrush and pick it up by the bristles. Nothing cuter than your kitten letting you know it's time to brush his teeth. As far as health benefits, cats on average seem to have better dental health than small breed dogs do, but they also don't have the luxury of chewing bones and rawhides to scale tartar off their own teeth. Regular tooth brushing can help to minimize tartar buildup when they get older. With most cats, the only way to brush their teeth when they get older is to get them used to it young, so it wouldn't hurt anything to just brush brush brush*. Even with regular brushing, you should absolutely take your pet to the vet once a year (more with some nasty mouthed dogs) for a thorough dental cleaning. I don't really have any sources to cite, just anecdotally in my experience. *Use pet safe toothpaste. don't put Crest in your cat or dog's mouth.
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Sep 25, 2010 20:00
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I'm getting the impression my vet is incredibly overpriced - what amount should I expect for getting my cats teeth cleaned professionally? She definitely needs it.
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Sep 25, 2010 20:12
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Octoduck posted:By aggression I am not referring to growling or baring teeth; but circling, nudging and barking. As in, he will run around people then sort of hit them with his nose while he barks. We carry treats around with us so people can greet him with one, but he simply accepts it calmly and immediately reverts to his previous behavior. I am not worried about him attacking anyone, but I am worried that he will start nipping at people. It sounds like he could be herding people, which is a natural instinct that would start to show itself as the dog got older. I'd hit up the herding megathread if I were you, you'd probably get a good response from people who've worked with that sort of problem before. 
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Sep 25, 2010 20:15
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Lackadaisical posted:I'm getting the impression my vet is incredibly overpriced - what amount should I expect for getting my cats teeth cleaned professionally? She definitely needs it. A few people have posted about this recently, and its pretty steep, most prices I've seen are like $800-1500
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Sep 25, 2010 20:18
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I would say anywhere between $100 and $250 would be fair. Ask about what specifically is involved in the procedure. Does your vet perform bloodwork at the same time? Do they monitor anesthesia with a pulse oximeter or a EKG? Do they place an IV catheter, give fluids the whole time, intubate and give oxygen and anesthesia gas to cats? If any teeth need to be pulled is that included in the price? Do they polish the teeth, are they treating with fluoride? Ask where the charges are coming from. If they won't tell you or they don't know, then find someplace else. Incidentally, I've seen pets die on the table from ridiculously routine procedures. Any vet that didn't do everything I listed above would absolutely not get my business. For example, some of the drugs used to sedate pets can't be given if the pet is, say, in kidney failure. Being able to spot that (by performing bloodwork beforehand) is definitely important. Cats are a little easier than dogs, though, and I wouldn't expect to pay over $200 unless your cat's mouth is rotting and it needs teeth extracted. Edit: $1000 is totally fair for an exploratory surgery or an amputation or something major like that, but that's an outrageous price for a dental cleaning. Find a new vet. On second thought, we've done some dentals that approach that price, but the pet is presented in pretty bad shape. Abscessed tooth that needs to be pulled, or something like that. In some really extreme cases, they might need to open a surgery pack and actually cut through the gums, but that is not the average pet. Maybe they're giving you a high estimate, and when they see it's just some tartar buildup they'll give you a more reasonable price? It's worth asking. vez veces fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Sep 25, 2010 |
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Sep 25, 2010 20:23
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Would the $200~ range be sort of like a basic cleaning for people? VS $1000~ would be more like getting root canals and teeth pulled? Do vets overcharge for that dental stuff because they can and people don't grill them enough on what they're paying for?
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Sep 25, 2010 20:29
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That's accurate. The lower prices is assuming you just came in for a routine dental cleaning. The price can absolutely get exponentially higher as you start to get teeth pulled. Vets are just as likely to overcharge as people in any other service industry. It's not necessarily the standard, though. Most vets I've worked for charge appropriately for their services. Of course they make a profit, but they have to if they can reasonably expect to keep treating pets and keep their staff happy. I would say don't be afraid to ask questions about pricing. It's not like they'll assume you're some broke deadbeat because you have concerns about the price. If it seems as though they don't want to discuss it, keep looking for someone new. The economy being what it is, they should be used to those questions by now, and they should have good answers as to why they charge what they do.
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Sep 25, 2010 20:37
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I paid $251 just for the dental x rays
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Sep 25, 2010 20:39
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I don't mean to go too crazy posting in this thread but I've never worked somewhere that required x-rays before a dental cleaning, but that is a pretty fair price for radiographs.
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Sep 25, 2010 20:42
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Empire State posted:I would say anywhere between $100 and $250 would be fair. Ask about what specifically is involved in the procedure. Does your vet perform bloodwork at the same time? Do they monitor anesthesia with a pulse oximeter or a EKG? Do they place an IV catheter, give fluids the whole time, intubate and give oxygen and anesthesia gas to cats? If any teeth need to be pulled is that included in the price? Do they polish the teeth, are they treating with fluoride? Everywhere I've worked, cat dentals have started around $400 for bloodwork, IV catheter + fluids, gas anesthesia, dental x-rays, and scaling/polishing/fluoride/Oravet. This could easily go up to $900 for 5+ extractions. For cats, I wouldn't waste my money on a dental without x-rays. There are other effects on price, too. At some clinics, one technician will anesthetize, intubate, shoot x-rays (or not), and scale/polish the teeth themselves, all while keeping an eye on the monitoring equipment. And at some point the vet comes in and says no extractions are necessary. I've also heard of clinics where technicians do the extractions themselves, too (illegally). At other clinics, they might assign two technicians to do all this, or a technician might just do the monitoring while the vet does all the dirty work. The supplies used in a dental are pretty insignificant cost-wise, other than gas anesthesia, so you're really paying for the employees' time, skill, and equipment. A vet's time is worth a lot more than a tech's time. I guess my point is that sure, there are vets who overcharge people, but in more cases than not, you get what you pay for. ETA: Another thing -- I don't think it's very useful to say that one part of a dental cost you $X because there's no standard for how clinics organize a bill. One clinic might charge $200 for a spay including everything, while another clinic charges $50 for a spay, $50 for anesthesia, $50 for an IV catheter, and $50 for pre and post-op pain meds... or any random combination. It's also really common for clinics to charge different amounts for a procedure based on the context, for example a clinic might charge $50 for IV catheterization and fluids for a hospitalized cat in renal failure, but might charge $20 for catheterization and fluids during a spay because they need the total spay price to add up to a reasonable amount. Crooked Booty fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Sep 25, 2010 |
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Sep 25, 2010 21:06
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I'm assuming pricing will vary greatly from region to region. I've never seen prices get much higher than $200 for a routine dental in the Austin area. My post is as accurate as possible just going by prices in my area, I guess it could be wildly different elsewhere. Edit - the invoicing thing is true, something I didn't really consider, although, with clinics in my area, at least, the outcome is usually about the same: Radiographs could just be "Radiographs - $280" or it could be "Hospitalization - $50 Doctor's Interpretation - $40 Exposure - $20 Exposure - $20 Restraint - $40" etc. I suppose YMMV as in all things. vez veces fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Sep 25, 2010 |
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Sep 25, 2010 21:22
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$1,000?!?!? Seriously? There are no cheaper alternatives? My cats teeth are looking pretty yellow and nasty in the back, but even $500 would be difficult for me. e: I actually have a second question. My cat is acting completely normal and is eating and drinking normally. That said, my cats nose has lost all color today. It's normally pink but today it's just white. Also, her fur is normally orange and white but the orange color has been getting paler over the past month. Could stress be doing this? I'd take her to a vet ASAP but other than the color issues, she seems completely fine. Lackadaisical fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Sep 25, 2010 |
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Sep 25, 2010 21:23
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Empire State posted:I'm assuming pricing will vary greatly from region to region. I've never seen prices get much higher than $200 for a routine dental in the Austin area. My post is as accurate as possible just going by prices in my area, I guess it could be wildly different elsewhere. 
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Sep 25, 2010 21:30
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